What if 1 second separates them? The race would probably be neutralized (by general truce among the riders) until the sprint teams wound up in Paris but maybe not. That hasn't happened yet.

By peloton you mean everybody else? Is teaming up legal? Formally teaming up between two different teams is not legal but informal teaming up is a fundamental part of mass start racing and happens all the time. Look at any disciplined breakaway. You'll see 5 riders of 5 different teams riding a perfect team time trial.

I hadn't imputed a desire on anyone. Bad things happen occasionally no matter everyone's good intentions.

In an early Olympics marathon, a runner got confused, ran the wrong direction, some spectators helped him, which resulted in disqualification. Different sports have different rules. Outside help is illegal in bike racing but not always enforced.

What's the 3km rule? What's the green jersey? 3 kn rule - any rider crashing in the final 3km of a stage is considered to have finished and gets the same time as the group he was in. Riders can also drop out os the group they are in once past the 3 km mark. (This means the leaders on General Classification, ie lowest overall time, do not have to endanger themselves or others riding close to sprinters who are fighting for stage wins.)

The Green Jersey - Tour de France leader of the points standings. Points are awarded to first finishers of a stage or intermediate sprint.

Ben